346 CHARLES WILKES. 



but were continually pawing and whining over him, 

 making a kind of purring noise, not unlike that by 

 which we propitiate or soothe the feelings or doubt- 

 ful temper of some beast. They presented them 

 with mats made of the pandanus-leaf, and also 

 pieces of worn-out tapa, in return for many articles 

 received, but would not suffer our people to put 

 their feet upon dry ground, and, when it was at- 

 tempted, kept shoving them gently into the water. 



" The naturalists in the afternoon endeavored to 

 effect a landing at another place, out of sight of the 

 natives, and succeeded. Mr. Brackenridge, on land- 

 ing the second time, ran to the thicket, in order to 

 lose no time in making collections, and was em- 

 ployed in gathering specimens, when two stout 

 natives came running up and made him understand 

 by very intelligible signs that he must return to the 

 boat: he pretended not to understand them, and 

 endeavored to proceed ; but they went before him, 

 and crossed their clubs, determined that he should 

 go no farther. This caused him to laugh, in which 

 the two natives joined. Finding there was no alter- 

 native, he took an oblique direction toward the boat, 

 hoping by this means to enlarge his collection, which 

 he succeeded in doing, while the natives, as he de- 

 scribes it, shouldered him out of the bush and then 

 toward the boat. The rest of the party, having gone 



